Sam Soje ( born Samuel Okeremute Sodje ; May 25, 1979 , Greenwich , England ) is a Nigerian footballer who played as a defender .
 Sam Soje | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Samuel Okeremute Soje | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Greenwich , England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Citizenship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Growth | 183 cm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | defender | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Club | completed his career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Career
Sam was born in Greenwich in 1979. His first club was the Liverpool Stevenage . At the beginning of the 2001-2002 season, Soje joined Margate . In the debut match for Margate, Sam scored a goal. He quickly won the sympathy of fans and in the first season he became the Player of the Year according to fans.
In the summer of 2003, Soje was seen at Yeovil Town and Chester City , but he did not sign a contract with any of these teams and returned to Margate, having spent another bright season at the Conference .
At the beginning of the 2004/05 season, Sam joined the Brentford League One team . He became popular among fans thanks to his celebrations of scored goals, as well as unusual hairstyles. Following the results of the first season, Samuel received the award for the best player of the season according to the local newspaper. For the next season, Soje was included in the First League Team of the Year.
On January 31, 2006, on the last day of the transfer window, Soje refused to go to Southampton . On July 12, 2006, it was announced that he would join Reading . Sam made his debut as part of the Reading in a away match against Wigan Athletic on August 26, 2006 [2] , and Burnley scored the first goal in the FA Cup on January 9, 2007 [3] . However, at Reading, Soje did not get enough playing practice, and on March 16, 2007, he went on a monthly lease to West Bromwich Albion . Then the lease was extended until the end of the 2006/07 season. During his time at West Bromwich, Samuel helped the team make it to the Championship Playoffs finals . Soje scored one goal against Norwich City on April 9, 2007 [4] .
In the summer of 2007, Sheffield Wensday agreed with Reading on Sam’s transfer conditions, but for the 2007/08 season, Soje was leased to Charlton Athletic . As part of Charlton, he made his debut on September 18, 2007 in a match against Norwich City, replacing him at the end of the game [5] .
In September 2008, Soje was rented for a month by Watford . Samuel played in only one meeting against Sheffield United away [6] , and then received a serious knee injury and was returned to Reading.
March 26, 2009 Samuel joined Leeds United on a 1-month lease with the possibility of further extension until the end of the season. After an impressive performance by the player, the lease was extended at the end of the month. Soje, along with Richard Naylor, managed to create a powerful bunch in the center of defense, gaining popularity among fans, many of whom demanded that Leeds sign Sam on an ongoing basis. However, the Leeds were acquired by Patrick Kisnorbo.
On May 28, 2009, Reading granted Soje the status of a free agent. On November 14, Sam's brother, Akpo , joined him by joining Charlton on loan from Sheffield Wensday. Together with Charlton, Soje reached the League playoffs alone. Sam missed both games in the playoff semifinal due to injury.
In July 2010, Soje joined the Greek club Xanthi . However, only a month later, the contract with Sam was terminated. In August 2010, Soje was seen at Portsmouth . On October 14, 2010, she arrived at the Sheffield Wensday , for which his brother Akpo played. After Sam was injured, Sheffield decided not to contract him
On October 29, 2010, Soje became Paul Ince 's first acquisition as head coach of the Notts County . Sam spent 27 matches for this club and scored 2 goals. In May 2012, Sam and 12 other Notts County players were granted free agent status.
On January 18, 2013, Soje arrived at Portsmouth for viewing. After 6 days, he signed a contract with the club. Sam played his debut match on February 2, 2013 in his home game against Colchester United. On February 23, 2013, Soje received a red card for hitting Jose Baxter in the groin several times in the match with Oldham Athletic for no apparent reason [7] .
Team Career
Despite the fact that Sam was born in England, his parents hail from Nigeria, so Samuel could choose which country to represent, England or Nigeria . Sam chose the homeland of his ancestors.
For the Nigeria national team, Samuel played his first match in 2005 in a friendly match against Romania. In 2009, after an impressive performance for Leeds, Soje was again called up under the banner of the national team for a friendly match against the national team of Ireland. In total, Nigeria Soje played 7 matches.
Personal life
Sam has 4 brothers who also play football, three of them professional football players. The older brother, Efe Soje, was also a player in the Nigeria national team. Samuel's nephew, Onome Soje, also plays football professionally.
Notes
Links
- Player profile on soccerbase.com
- Player profile on Transfermarkt
- Profile at National-football-teams.com